The air was thick with the scent of iron rust and damp earth. As the locomotive lifted from the ground, a noticeable tremor shook the area for dozens of meters around.
Powerful air currents swirled inside the train engine, while semi-transparent pillars of steam billowed from its steel chimney, accompanied by a deep, majestic whistle.
"Look at that, it's like the train's really moving," Uiharu murmured, forced back a few steps by the gust, her gaze fixed on the engine.
Following her line of sight, Natsume was now standing atop the locomotive, waving energetically at those below.
Less than an hour after the missile launch from the dark side of Academy City, nearly all preparations were complete.
The railgun projectile was ready, the Railgun herself was in position, and the human-shaped transport was set.
With a determined—or perhaps slightly dazed—expression, Natsume Sonoko sat on a white preparation bench for her final rest.
Baking under the sun, her intentionally dampened clothes had slowly dried, proving the effort rather pointless.
Though she didn't smell bad—in fact, she still smelled faintly pleasant—Sonoko felt uncomfortably grimy and was already dreaming of a proper bath after this was over.
Her mind wandering to trivial matters, Sonoko turned to observe the others still busy at work.
It was Kongou-senpai and the others.
"Kongou-san, the expenses this time will be covered by Judgment. We'll reimburse the advance payment to your account later," Konori-senpai was saying to Kongou not far away. Kongou, however, seemed unconcerned.
"No need. This lady is satisfied simply being able to contribute," Kongou-senpai replied with the poise of a well-bred young lady, tilting her chin up slightly and hiding her face behind an unfolded fan.
"Natsume-san, for you."
A tap on her shoulder snapped Sonoko out of her reverie. Misaka-senpai had approached.
"A rice ball?" Sonoko accepted it, looking puzzled.
"Saten-san bought them. To help keep your strength up. Your part later will be demanding, after all," Misaka-senpai explained calmly, a slight smile playing on her lips as she took a seat on a cleaning robot next to Sonoko.
At this point, everyone else was either clearing debris from the railgun 'projectile' or liaising with Academy City officials. The two of them were practically the only idle ones, their sole task being to rest.
"It's not too bad. Everyone thinks I'll have it rough, but it's honestly not that exhausting."
The relevant formulas had been simplified repeatedly, to the point where they were almost second nature.
Achieving a similar effect required far less computational power from Sonoko compared to other espers in analogous systems.
Tearing open the biodegradable plastic wrap, Sonoko took a big bite.
It wasn't quite dinnertime yet, so she'd treat it as a snack. When it came to food, Sonoko never held back.
The subtle taste of seaweed and the fragrance of rice filled her mouth, and she bit into a small shrimp. Simple flavors like this always brought a sense of contentment.
While it wasn't her beloved sweet treat, it was still pretty good. Sonoko gave the rice ball a six out of ten.
Just as the girl with the twin buns was about to finish her snack, Misaka-senpai's phone vibrated.
"They've calculated the missile's trajectory," Misaka-senpai said, clenching her fist, a surge of excitement in her voice.
"Was it the 'Sisters'?" Sonoko asked through a mouthful of rice, chewing busily.
If Misaka-senpai had access to high-performance computing, the 'Sisters' were the most likely source.
"Right. We owe them for this one," Misaka-senpai confirmed with a nod.
"Now that we have the trajectory, Natsume-san, it's time we set off." Taking a deep breath, Misaka-senpai hopped down from the robot.
"Eh? Wait just a moment!" Sonoko protested, hastily swallowing a large bite and nearly choking in her rush.
A moment later, after tossing the plastic wrap into the cleaning robot's compartment, Sonoko hurried after her.
No safety seats, no oxygen masks.
Natsume Sonoko and Misaka-senpai stood casually atop the locomotive, watching the ground recede until people and scenery faded into mere dots.
The temperature dropped as they ascended, the air grew thin, and their skin tingled slightly from the decreasing atmospheric pressure.
But the ace pilot was in her element. An invisible barrier of air not only shielded them from the rushing wind but also mitigated these other issues.
If not for the urgent mission, it might have felt like a spontaneous adventure.
The train engine pierced through the clouds, a spear shooting into the sky, surrounded by thick, misty layers.
Whoooosh!
The whistle sounded intermittently as they sped through the air.
The locomotive, originally meant for amusement rides, probably never dreamed it would one day touch the sky.
Massive jets of air erupted behind it, the scenery blurring past.
Ordinary updrafts couldn't provide enough thrust; this time, Sonoko was employing legendary jet propulsion.
Typical jet engines capture gases from burning fuel, using the reactive force of high-speed expulsion for thrust.
Sonoko's ability mimicked that engine effect.
Jet propulsion held great promise; many aircraft in this world used it to achieve supersonic speeds.
But Sonoko wasn't at that level yet. Coupled with the locomotive's considerable weight, their current speed hadn't even reached high subsonic—around Mach 0.8 to 0.9.
Even so, they maintained a velocity of 200 meters per second, expecting to reach an altitude of 30,000 meters in about three minutes.
Maintaining this speed took its toll; Sonoko's breathing grew noticeably labored.
The locomotive burst through the dense cloud layer into the stratosphere. Suddenly, the world opened up; the previously white, misty vistas cleared, revealing crisp, expansive views.
The clouds thinned, the sky stretched out into a brilliant blue, and here, oxygen was scarce. Fortunately, Sonoko had brought along several cubic meters' worth of oxygen reserves.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.